


Bringer of Darkness or Begger of Light

by Jasonwolf18



Category: Final Fantasy XIV, World of Warcraft
Genre: Anger, F/M, Fear, Hope, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:53:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29513505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jasonwolf18/pseuds/Jasonwolf18
Summary: This is a tale of Darkvald, the Warrior of Light, arriving in the First and receiving a vision that shakes him to the core. As he goes through the world, trying to help it get back on track, he finds himself falling in love with a certain Sorceress and his struggles to come to terms of those feelings and the fear that the visions had instilled into him.
Relationships: Y'shtola Rhul & Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)





	1. Can Fate Truly be Prevented?

**Author's Note:**

> This is a 3 chapter story that is the longest that I have written in years. While I am not the best at writing for characters that are not my own, as well as combat, I do try to give it all justice and make it both entertaining and true.

_‘Go. Save our friends, Warrior of Light.’_

That was all Darkvald heard through the splitting headache, the words to bring back his comrades who were mysteriously summoned before him. Next, all he knew was darkness. By the time he opened his eyes, he was falling through the void, a vast emptiness all around him for as far as the eye can see, with the only thing ahead of him was a blinding bright light that shone like a beacon. A second later, the void was filled with the sound of voices that accompanied crystals, crystals that contained images of different people that he had met from his time in Eorzea. It was hard to identify not only what was being said, but who was saying anything as the voices grew louder and the images flew by faster.

**Flash**

An image of Darkvald and Musosai, his samurai teacher, clashing in the show, blades drawn trying to end the other’s life showed in this large crystal, showing a time before the young Darkvald had to slay his own master.

‘Strike me down, pupil! Purge the evil or it will turn its blade to your throat and strike you down instead!’

**Flash**

This next crystal showed an image of the still bodies of all the Scions that he has grown to know and respect, unmoving but showing no signs of being dead or simply asleep. Yet another crystal immediately follows behind this, bringing the focus on the fallen body of Y’shtola, no clear sign of breathing.

**Flash**

Zenos, bloodied blade in hand, stood over the injured body of Hien, a reminder that he was almost too late to save them during the last conflict with the empire before he was transported to….well wherever he was going. It still chilled him whenever he thought about it, wondering if he was just a couple minutes quicker, more skilled, anything, if they would have been less injured. However this image paled to scare him as deeply as what he heard next.

‘Run my child! They are coming, and we can’t let them through!’

Darkvald’s eyes shot open as wide as they could go, his heart beating almost out of his chest, pumping pure fear through his veins as he recognized not only the voice, but the image that showed right in front of him when he spun around to face it, barely making it around in time. In the distance, too far away for him to attempt to reach, was a large Red dragon, flying side by side with a Blue dragon away from where he was, his words escaping him before he realized it ‘Mom! Uncle!’ In a flash, it was all gone, the voices, the crystals, everything.

Before he had a chance to collect himself after that last image, the void was filled with a roar, and fire spread all throughout the space, only to move to gather into the shape of a massive eye, an eye that he was falling straight to.

‘All that you hold dear, all who you love, have already abandoned you. You have failed and your world will burn.’

As the booming voice spoke, yet more images spawned, staying front and center for his view, never leaving his eye sight no matter where he looked. The first image showed each of Scions standing before him, a mixture of fear, hatred, and disgust lining their faces. Each one that he saw, or atleast the images made him see, shook him to his core. Thancred, nothing but hatred, something reminding him of his time being used as a pawn for the Ascians. Urianger, distrust at a former ally. The twins Alphinaud and Alisaie, a mixture of disgust and fear. The final one, the one that almost felt like he was stabbed in the heart was Y’shtola. The one who saw his energy, his aether, saw something that brought fear in her sightless eyes. However, instead of striking their former comrade, they each turned their backs on him, leaving him behind to figure out what had driven them away. If that wasn’t bad enough for the now shaken Warrior of Light, he was shown side by side images of both his former home of Azeroth and his new home of Eorzea engulfed in flames, leaving nothing left alive. This was when the proud warrior, the one who had slain primals and stopped wars, this is when he broke. With a scream, he was engulfed in the flames, the eye laughing as everything went dark.

With a start, Darkvald twitched awake on the ground, his body in pain, the bright light in the sky burning his eyes through his closed eyelids. Shakily, he stood up, using his katana to help him get back to his feet, his hands still shaking after the visions he had in his travel. When he finally opened his eyes, his jaw dropped, staring out at the surroundings in shock. ‘It couldn’t be. I can’t be…..home?’ With a lurch, he took a step forward, looking at the trees, the pink grass, so much of it reminded him of a place his mother took him to while he was still growing up. If he was home, surely there were watchers nearby. “Dask! Ann’da! Re Wux Mobi?! [Mom! Father! Are you there?!]” His speech was temporarily shaken up, reverting to his home language that both parents taught him of Draconic and Elvish. Surely if he was home, someone of his mother’s kin would have sensed a portal opening. At the same time, if he was here then he had to save the others quickly, as some threats may still exist after all the time he had been away that could pose a threat.

However, all he was met was silence. “This isn’t home, I guess.” He said, finally getting a look at the trees. If his mind had been clear to start with, he would have noticed that the trees were actual trees, not crystals that took the shape of trees. And he would have noticed the huge crystal tower looming in the distance. With a sigh, he took hold of his sword, squeezing the handle tighter as he tried to re-center himself, and then walked forward, guessing that the tower would be the best place to start.


	2. Does a Reunion bring Pain or Hope?

_‘Go Forth and Conquer!’_ said Emet, arms spread wide as they all looked upon the forest of Rak’tika. Darkvald couldn’t help but shake his head with a light chuckle, a smirk upon his lips, “You remind me of some people back home, Ascian. I haven’t decided if that is a good thing or not, just yet.” Unlike most of the others, he had found the Ascian more likeable than previous Ascians that he dealt with in the past, maybe it was his personality that didn’t put him on edge so much. Emet just gave a dismissive wave of his hand as he walked ahead of them, his usual bored movement not showing any difference than usual. This earned him a sigh from Thancred as he took up the front with Minfillia, Urianger walking a few paces behind them. Taking a deep sigh himself, Darkvald surveyed the area, his hand resting upon the hilt of his katana at his side. This place did look nice, kind of like a swampier version of his home.

The memory of his home did bring a brief smile, a change from the frightened Warrior of Light that had first arrived at the First and his visions. He had slain two Lightwardens with the help from his allies, and he was getting in a better mood. Once the Exarch had pointed him to his mission on this world, the vision that he had upon arriving had all but vanished, replaced with a sense of duty. _I have a job to do now, just like the old days. What **they** say can’t affect me here._ However, the talk with Urianger about his vision of the Eighth Umbral Calamity did make him wonder if maybe he imagined the whole thing, a sign of his mind fracturing from stress of the war with the Empire, or if they somehow found him all the way here. “Hey...um Urianger. About your vision, I have a question if you can hopefully answer it.” Darkvald said, walking up to meet with the Elezen, though he noticed that even Thancred ahead of them had briefly turned his head to the side to half listen. “Of course, my friend. What is thine question?” Darkvald took a deep sigh as he saw the village that they were supposed to meet Y’shtola only a few feet away from them now. As they walked into the village, at least the ruins of it from what he could tell, Darkvald finally turned to face Urianger, “When you were coming to the First, did you…” He wasn’t able to finish his question as he noticed that both Thancred and Urianger seemed to be on edge.

The next thing that he knew, they were surrounded by many dark clothed individuals, all with different weapons aimed at them. With a brief curse in his mother’s language, Darkvald instantly grabbed his sword. He had been so distracted with his own fears that he was caught off guard, though he let go of his sword when he noticed that everyone else had put their hands up, finally noticing that they were surrounded. His gaze shifted over the surrounding enemies, his mind trying to figure out a plan on how best to break through if things went south that he didn’t even notice that Emet had left and Thancred was trying to convince them that they weren’t Sin Eaters. Finally, his attention was snapped back to reality when he heard a familiar voice saying, ‘Enough! What is your report?’ He quickly turned his attention to the source of the voice, feeling his heart start to beat faster in his chest. What he saw was a sight for sore eyes, the woman that he himself was still trying to figure out his feelings for but his heart seemed to know already. “It…..It’s you.” He whispered under his breath, hopeful that maybe his vision is indeed false. However, that all seemed to shatter when he heard, “I recognize you Urianger, Thancred, and Minfillia of the First. But I do not recognize this one. For who else but a Sin Eater would be so infused with Light, and why are you walking with it and haven’t killed it yet?” The only outward sign that he showed was a slight slump of his shoulders and the slight lowering of his fingers, but he felt as if Zenos had suddenly showed up to pierce his heart.

“Surely you remember our friend, who recently arrived in the First. Who has slain two Lightwardens already.” Hearing this, Darkvald did notice a sudden recognition upon Y’shtola’s face, and that is when he ended up speaking, the last bit of hope in his voice “Has it really been so long that you forgot all about me?” The surprise upon her face fueled his hope. “Let us make for home. We will discuss our plans there.” said Y’shtola, dismissing the guards that had surrounded them. A short while later, when they had time to settle in the hideout of the Night’s Blessed, Darkvald had managed to find Y’shtola alone in her room, “Hey, can I speak with you?” He asked, leaning against the door. His thumb danced over the end of his hilt, a nervous tick that he had that was usually suppressed when he was able to focus on an important task. Y’shtola had turned around to look at him, “We are alone, is it something that the others need to hear?” If he could blush through his dark skin, he would, “No no no, just something I wanted to ask you.” He took a deep breath and took a step into the room, his tail swaying behind him nervously, “So...did you actually forget about me?” It was a simple question, but after the incident with being thought of as a Sin Eater brought up those visions of his. A few times while in the dark places in this little village, his mind made him see blazing eyes just staring at him, whispering ‘Everyone will abandon you’ and everyone walked by those eyes with no sign of seeing them.

“Hmm, maybe. It has been years, at least here on the First, since I last saw you. Are you saying it was better to forget about you?” He could tell that she was trying to be cheeky with him, but with his faith in himself shaken it had the opposite effect, which was quickly noticed. “No, I didn’t forget about you, Darkvald. It has been years since I first came here, but I did want to get back to you at least.” she sighted, turning her sightless eyes up at him to regard his more sullen stance. He slowly walked forward and fell to his knees before her, his hands resting on shoulders. “Thank you. There...there are some things I am still trying to figure out, but can you wait for me to figure it out?” His eyes had filled with tears that he was actively trying to keep back, and he saw a softness in Y’shtola’s expression that he hadn’t seen. That is until he felt his horn getting grabbed and his head brought in closer to her head, feeling lips press against his cheek, “Fool, whatever is so important for you to figure out, I will be here waiting for you to speak up.”

After much time had passed, the party had finally discovered the location of the next Lightwarden, hidden deep inside an ancient temple. And like what happened in Il Mheg, Eulmore’s army was on their heels as they sought to open the passage. With Urianger, Thancred, and Minfillia working together to keep most of the army at bay, Darkvald and Y’shtola had gone ahead to figure out the opening. They almost had it until the sound of battle drew their attention, signaling that Ran’jit had finally caught up with them. As Darkvald drew his sword, ready to have round two with the strong General, his eyes widened at the sudden speed of the flying kick that was sent his way, as well as seeing Y’shtola stand before him, blocking the attack with a shield. With a brief snarl of his lips, he mentally prepared for their fight, knowing it was going to be a hard one, and he still had a Lightwarden and its defenses still to cut through. That is until one of Ran’jit’s followers stumbled in, making most of the room’s floor collapse, leaving a small space for them to stand on. “Now, why don’t we make a deal,” said the follower, “you guarantee our safe passage from your allies, and we will give you the antidote for the poison that your friends have been infected with.” He could tell that Y’shtola was angered at this, with her taking a step towards the man, but he kept his guard up on Ran’jit. This however earned a sneer from the old man, saying that they don’t make deals before launching his follower into the pit behind them, sending the antidote with him.

The next thing he knew, Y’shtola had jumped to catch the antidote and threw the bottle back at him, “Don’t fail, and you will have to wait longer to tell me what your heart wants.” She says before falling down into the pit as well, disappearing from sight. If the thought that he had been abandoned felt like being stabbed, this was when it had been stabbed and forcibly torn from his chest while he was still alive. _No…not when I finally found something to care about. I had hope finally that the vision was going to be false. But **he** stole it from me._ Rage had filled his whole body, actually shaking as he turned his gaze upon the neutral standing General. All this rage was pushing past his limits that he had set for himself since he first was sent to Eorzea by his mother, feeling his body forcibly shifting to be truly more dragon-like. It hurts. _It hurts, mom. But not as much **as it will hurt him.**_ He had never once turned into the dragon form that he had been born as since coming here, but to bring vengeance, he will sacrifice everything, or would have, if the sounds of Minfillia and the others arriving didn’t snap him out of it. The arrival of the others all faded to nothing, the world engulfing in shadows as the last words that he heard were from the pestering whispers _'You will soon...be ours.'_


	3. Light breaking through the Darkness

The events after the opening of the pit, Y'shtola's fall, and Darkvald's rescue at the hands of Thancred and Urianger all seemed like a blur. He felt hollow inside, numb to everything that was going on around him besides the intense pain that he felt. The Warrior of Darkness could barely hear the words that his companions were saying around him. It seemed like they were making sure at first that he suddenly wasn't succumbing to the intense aether that was stored inside his body, turning him into a new Lightwarden. After some checks made by Urianger, it was determined that physically he was fine and in no danger. This all went by without much of a response from Darkvald, his eyes looking out into the distance, though he barely heard the arrival of Emet-Selch. When he was asked what had happened, his response was very monotone, "She fell down the pit. There was a burst of wind that came from the hole immediately afterwards."

"Sounds like she invoked the spell Flow, just like at the Bloody Banquet. Then she must be in the Lifestream." Something ticked in the back of his mind at the words, a spark of light briefly appearing in the engulfing void that had trapped his mind, a memory of something from the past that he couldn't remember. "Very well, I will help you if it means I can get your trust." said Emet, giving his usual sassy sigh at the group. The whole group heard a loud crack, wondering if it was just a tree that had suddenly fallen in the forest, when in actuality it was Darkvald snapping his head up, eyes wide and finally breaking out of his daze. "What? You can do that?" After a grand show of Emet-Selch plucking Y'shtola's being out of the Lifestream, Darkvald finally requested that they all spend a bit of time to recover and prepare to delve deeper into the temple to hunt down the third Lightwarden. With his mind finally snapped out of its haze, seeing Y'shtola back among the living, he could feel how much pain his body actually was in, trying to transform into a dragon after a few years of not doing so had taken its toll. He did request to keep an eye on Y'shtola as they rest, making sure that she was ok as well. Many times, he had just sat by her bed, holding her hand with his forehead resting against the top of her hand. He just kept mumbling 'You are back', more than once sounding as if he was on the verge of tears and earning him a few pats on the head from the Sorceress. She ran her fingers through his red hair and the ponytail that he had kept tied up for his fights. The darkness that had haunted Darkvald since arriving in Rak'tika was fading away, replaced by the hopeful light that this woman had brought to him. "You really are a lovable fool." Y'shtola said to Darkvald as he didn't really respond to her touch.

\----------------------------------------------------

Some time later, the Warriors of Darkness had defeated the Lightwardens that terrorized the First, slain Vauthry, fought Emet-Selch, or Hades as his true name turned out to be, then found out that Elidibus had taken over the body of Ardbert. All this came to a head with a race against time as the Scions started to pass out, the connection between their soul and body weakening and yet they still had to deal with Ardbert and figure out what he was planning by converting many of the citizens of the First into new Warriors of Light. It wasn't all negative and stressful, of course, as Darkvald and Y'shtola had spent a bit more time bonding, with him coming to visit her as she stayed in Anamnesis Anyder to research about the Ancients and the summoning of Hydaelyn and Zodiark. The more they spent together, the more he came to realize that he truly was inlove with her. Many times, he would come bearing flowers, using the excuse that staying inside the facility must get boring without anything from the surface, though he was sure that she could see through his lie, as evident by the blush she would always have when receiving the gift. It was this last trip, when he decided that he was going to officially announce his love to her, as well inform her about G'raha's plan to send them back that he saw an unconscious Y'shtola and Elidibus standing over her.

"What did you do?" Darkvald said, glaring at the Ardbert look alike. "It was not by my hand that she has fallen. It seems like her attachment to her body is waning." He watched as Elidibus turned around to face him, his hand immediately fell to the hilt of his katana, feeling anger starting to rise up in him. It wasn't like how he felt when he faced Ran'jit, but the anger was still there all the same. The fight against Emet had calmed his distrust with the Ascians, leaving him feeling sorry for some of them, at least with Emet and a bit of Elidibus. However, that would not excuse if his friends and the woman he loved were harmed. "I think I will take her to a safe place, and I will return her to you, as long as you do as I say." Before his eyes, Y'shtola was absorbed in a void portal, only for a second portal to appear in its place and stay open. "Do as I say, and I can promise that she will be unharmed." With that, Elidibus vanished, leaving Darkvald alone in the room with the portal. With a deep sigh, he stepped through, finding himself in Amaurot, where the Ascian explains that he wants to test him in this game of theirs as he steps out the door.

Darkvald's eyes narrow, his hand gripping tighter upon his blade as he takes a step outside, seeing several dark figures all around the area, with Elidibus standing in front of a small group of them. "How about we start with a tale where all new adventurers would begin, running into these foes at the start of their journey?" With a flash of light that makes Darkvald shield his eyes, the shadow group transforms into younger forms of Thancred, Y'shtola, Yda, and Papalymo, all with their weapons drawn and Elidibus gone from his sight. His eyes stare wide open as the shades charge at him, all reminding him of when he first met each of them. _They are just monsters, not real._ Those thoughts echoed in his mind as he drew his blade and with a quick slice, cut down Papalymo. He jumped to the side, barely missing a dagger to his side from Yda, only to counter with a straight jab with his katana, sinking the blade through the shade's gut. This left him open to receive a knife in the shoulder from Thancred, which he responded by doing a cross-cut over the Scion. When he turned his gaze upon Y'shtola, he wavered at the thought of hurting her, even if it was a shade. This had earned him a fire ball to the face, burning him a little, which immediately snapped him out of his daze. With a quick dash, he sliced past the shade of his love, his teeth bared not in anger at her but at how he was feeling like a monster for cutting down his friends and loved ones.

This cycle repeated as he fought past enemies and friends alike, and with each 'kill' Darkvald was glad that none of his friends were witnessing this, less the visions return again. Eventually, he found himself facing Hien and Yugiri, and the feel of having to face shades that look like his friends had numbed finally. _'Take out the ninja first, then dealing with the Samurai will be easy.'_ he thought as he charged at 'Yugiri'. Their blades danced, clanging in the emptiness of the arena as he tried to make sure to avoid striking at 'Hien' immediately. After gaining himself an opening, he took his chance, ending the shade before rushing at the Samurai with their blades flashing in sparks when they connect. "You know, I did always want to duel you, see who was the better fighter." Darkvald said to the blank expression of his opponent.

**Clang Clang Clang**

Each time their swords connected, more flash of sparks appeared, moving with speed and accuracy that only those of their profession could muster. Sweat was already starting to drip down his face, the effort of all these fights starting to take its toll, and he had no idea what to expect from the Ascian once he finished this trial. He needed to end this fight quickly. With a brief kick to Hien's gut, Darkvald sheathed his blade, his stance lowering closer to the ground as ice began to form on the ground around him. In a flash, he drew the blade with lightning speed, shattering the shade's katana and then followed up with an X style slashes over it's chest, ending the fight. With a deep breath, Darkvald chose to take a quick breather, wanting to recover some stamina before moving on, seeing Elidibus waiting for his final trial.

Once inside the next building, it was clear that it was to be a duel between him and the Elidibus-possessed Ardbert to see the full measure of his capabilities. The fight started out easy for both of them, trading blows with Katana and Greataxe, with Darkvald receiving more injuries than he was dealing. However, that all changed once the flow of combat started to get into his groove, with each slash of the katana doing more damage while he started to dance around the large sweeping attacks. Even when Ardbert had launched shockwaves over the arena, he had just weaved his way between them, running to keep the pressure on. At one point he did make a mistake and get caught in the side by a particularly strong swing of the axe, but the adrenaline was flowing through his veins that he ignored it and pushed on, sensing that the battle was nearing its conclusion. He had enough energy in him to do one last attack, hoping that it would finish the job and end this trial. With a yell, Darkvald charged at Ardbert, sliding to a stop and let ice gather around his feet once again and his blade sheathed. In a series of movement, he had cross cut Ardbert with his katana, let his blade and sheath catch in a red fiery energy that he used to hit his opponent, and then followed it up with one last fast cut, sending the Ascian sliding backwards away from him.

The battle had been won, as evident of Y'shtola's timely arrival and Elidibus admitting that as he was currently, he was no match for the Warrior of Darkness, but his companions couldn't stop him either. That was when the Ascian teleported away, leaving the two alone. Finally, a battered and bleeding Darkvald collapsed to one knee, his sword digging into the ground to help him from falling over, causing Y'shtola to rush to his side. "My apologies for not making it here sooner." she said, taking out a potion from his bag and having him drink it, to atleast stop the bleeding from the wound on his side. "It seems like you handled it pretty well, but I had hoped that I-" She was cut off by Darkvald placing a hand behind her head, bringing her in for a kiss to the lips. She was shocked, not expecting such a response, but eased into the kiss, slowly breaking it after a while. "I love you, Y'shtola. After what happened at the temple, and now this, I finally realized that you are someone that holds my heart and I can't live without." This brought a smile to her lips as she heard his confession, "Well, it is about time you admitted it. How long were you gonna make me wait if I hadn't been captured?" He couldn't help but chuckle, finally standing up as he was feeling better, "Well, I had planned to bring you flowers and confess." Reaching up, Y'shtola gently grabbed one of his horns again, bringing his face closer to hers once more, "Then let me make it official by saying that I love you too, Darkvald." as she brings him in for another kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck. After what felt like an eternity, they finally broke the kiss, "Now, we should go back to meet everyone and discuss what to do about Elidibus' plan."

With that, the whispers that had haunted Darkvald since arriving at the First had all but vanished, the light of hope and love finally breaching the darkness of fear that had clouded his mind. There was still the matter of telling all the Scions the truth, about who he actually was, where he actually came from, but that was for another time, when they didn't have an immediate threat to deal with and the Scions may die if they don't return to their bodies soon. But for now, he had someone who actually loved him, and he had a job to do to make sure that not only she make it back home, but the others as well.


End file.
